"Of the five states, the BJP won two and we won three. In two of the
states, we won but democracy is being undermined by them using money
power," the 46-year-old leader said in his first reactions since the
March 11 counting of votes.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today accused the BJP of undermining democracy by using money power in Goa and Manipur to buy MLAs in order to stake claim to form the government in the two states, which have thrown a hung verdict.

"Of the five states, the BJP won two and we won three. In two of the states, we won but democracy is being undermined by them using money power," the 46-year-old leader said in his first reactions since the March 11 counting of votes.

"Our fight is against the BJP's ideology. What they did in Manipur and Goa is exactly the ideology we are fighting against," the Congress leader told reporters outside Parliament.

In Goa, the Supreme Court has ordered a floor test on Thursday after the Congress challenged Governor Mridula Sinha's invitation to the BJP's Manohar Parrikar to form the government. Parrikar will take oath later today.

In Manipur, the BJP, which got 21 seats, has staked claim to form the government. The Congress got 28 in the 60-member Assembly, while the Naga People's Front (NPF) and the National People's Party (NPP) got four seats each.

Breaking his silence on the party's rout in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said the party had "a little down" and they accept it.

"We are in the Opposition. You have ups and downs and we had a little down in UP. It's fine. We accept that," he said.